ANCHORAGE: The Supreme Court will soon be issuing a decision on the Hobby Lobby lawsuit, which would let bosses take away employees’ contraception based on corporations’ purported religious beliefs. All Republican Senate candidates from Alaska support letting bosses take away insurance coverage of employees’ contraception based on the absurd premise that corporations have religious beliefs and that insurance coverage of contraception could violate such beliefs.

If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Hobby Lobby, women would be forced to pay as much as $600 per year more for contraception since it no longer would be included in their employer-provided health insurance. Contrary to claims made by Fred Dyson, forgoing lattes would not pay for this new tax on Alaska women.

“Treadwell, Sullivan and Miller want to give corporate bosses the right to deny women contraceptive services as part of their employer-provided health insurance. This just shows how out of touch the Republican Senate candidates are with Alaska women,” said Kay Brown, Executive Director of the Alaska Democratic Party.

Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties are challenging the requirement that insurance cover contraception. In the past, insurance policies frequently covered erectile dysfunction treatment for men but not contraception. If the Hobby Lobby suit succeeds, the boss of a large company could deny contraception to all of the company’s employees based on his personal opposition to contraception and women’s rights. Unlike for-profit companies like Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties, religious institutions already are exempt from the requirement to provide contraception insurance coverage. Treadwell, Sullivan and Miller all are on record supporting Hobby Lobby’s lawsuit against contraception coverage.[1]